I learned something from Maverick tv shows about poker hands.

[Phil C]

They had an episode a few weeks ago and Maverick randomly had 25 cards delt to him with the bet that he could make five pat hands out of the cards delt to him. Only straights, flushes, full houses and straight flushes count. He won his bet as he did it and he said it could be done a very large majority of the time.

Just out of curiousity I thought I would try it and lo and behold I did it 4 times and 4 times it worked out. Of course I was slower than was done on the episode but it did work out. Amazing isn't it?

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

But Phil, how did he do it?

[Phil C]

Originally posted by BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END
But Phil, how did he do it?

From what I can gather (and this was done on the Alias Smith and Jones tv series once) is that you get 25 cards and get all the flushes together and hopefully you can get three or four of those hands. Then you just work it where you have straights and full houses. It just takes time. I think as you keep working at it that it becomes easier. Of course on the four times I tried it it took a lot longer than they took in the series but fortunately I didn't have a limit due to time constraints for the time period or the commercials. :)

It is like crosswork puzzles. When you start out you may not be good but you keep working at it and you can become good. I never worked at it but I have seen that case before.

Try it out BBDE and see how you do. I expect it will take a little time your first few times. Even afterward I don't think anyone can be too fast. But they say it works the large majority of time. I was skeptical till I tried it.

They say after that Maverick episode aired that the next day all deck of cards across the country were sold out.

[Phil C]

Actually I didn't explain but the Alias Smith and Jones episode had more of an explanation about how to do it. Maverick mainly just did it.

One other poker trick is to be sure to know local ways before you get in a game. I had a friend that played a poker game with some friends in supposedly just a friendly penny type game and he and another player were left for the pot. He had 4 sevens while the friend had a full house so he was the winner. But when he put down his cards he said two pair and the other one said that his hand was what he called and that he won the pot.

That may have been a local thing but in a real game by rules he wouldn't have won. I told my friend that he was cheated. This was also confirmed by a professional poker gambling friend.

The point is the Cards speak for themselves. It showed 4 of a kind and that is what they are. If you put your cards down and don't have anything you can say 4 aces and if you don't have any ace then it is no good. You have to be careful when you get in a game with anyone.

[Phil C]

Another trick that was done on Maverick and Alias Smith and Jones was the cut the ace of spades trick. A man bets a large amount of money that he can draw the ace of spades from a deck without looking. It is called cutting the ace of spades. He lets his opponent shuffle the cards. Then with the deck together he pulls out a knife and cuts through the deck claiming the ace of spaces is there and reaches for the pot. But Maverick says you didn't cut the ace of spades and then holds the card up in his hand. In the shuffling with the old hand is quicker than the eye type thing he has removed the card from the deck. :)

[Phil C]

Another poker trick used in Maverick and Alias Smith and Jones was that everyone in a stud poker game agreeed to play by Hoyle (who wrote a book on rules of many games). The catch is when one of them got a straight and someone else had say three of a kind and thought he won a big pot the rules of Hoyle would be pulled out and show that straights and flushes were not accepted in stud poker unless agreed to by all the players in advance of the games. This rule no doubt was in effect during the times of the west but I think as the new century game it was ammended to allow straights and flushes since this rule is not in current books.

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE MOVIE "THE CINCINATTI KID" WITH STEVE MCQUEEN AND EDWARD G. ROBINSON.


Thank goodness the rule was amended or we would not have had that great dramatic ending in the movie The Cincinatti Kid. Edward G. Robinson would have lost the final hand. Of course if the rule had been in effect he wouldn't have continued playing after the first three or four cards. Whew!

:)

[Phil C]

It is recommended that you not play poker if you cannot afford to lose. Also it is recommended that you not play against people who cannot afford to lose. Common sense here.

[Phil C]

This is mainly for BBDE and I hope he gets to read this. I tried the 25 random cards trick 32 times. Be sure to remember that the ace can be the high card in strights (A,K,Q,J,10) or the low card (A,2,3,4, 5). Also remember that only strights, flushes, full houses and straight flushes are counted (not four of a kind). Remember these hands usually win nearly all of the poker hands that they come up in.
I tried it 32 times and it worked out 31 of the times and the one time it didn't I was tired and decided not to fool with it.

What you do as I said is after you get the 25 yards you arange them in order by suits and in order. It was very rare I had to use a full house and that usually happens if none of the suits just don't happen to have a card needed for a straight such as a 9 or a 5. But usually you can get them to work out with straights and flushes. If you try it and keep at it you will be able to do it consistently too. I will give some examples to give you some hints that can be used.

For example in one 25 cards I got and easy one with the following:

Diamonds K,9,8,7 6, 3, 2
Clubs A, Q, 10,8,5,4
Hearts K,10,9,5,4,2
Spades 10,8,7, 6,5, 2

The above is easy. Remember each hand has five cards and looking above you have an extra card in the clubs, hearts and
spades suites and 2 extra in the diamonds. I try to see a combination and it is easy to get a fifth hand as a straight. I take the 2,3, from the diamonds and the 5 from the clubs, and 4 from the hearts and 6 from the spaces so I have a stright 2,3,4,5,6 and four flushes.

They get harder if you happen to get a suit that has maybe 4 or less cards but practice you will be able to solve it.

One that is a little harder was:

Diamonds A,K,10,9, 6,5 (one extra card)
Clubs J,10,7,6 (only 4 cards must use them all in straights or full houses)
Hearts Q,J,10,9,7,6,5,3,2 (4 extra cards)
Spakes A,K,J,10,6,4 (one extra card)

With these I look it over and finally first come up with a straight by using a K of Diamonds, J,10 of Clubs, Q,9 of hearts and this gives me a K,Q,J,10,9 stright.
Next I use the 7,6 of clubs, 5,3 of heards and 4 of spades. This gives me a second straight of 7,6,5,4,3.
The other three hands left are flushes.

Try it out and good luck. Remember these were done with no betting and when I was alone with no outside disturbances. I don't recommend it being done except for fun.

[Necks_Fan]

Phil, you like westerns a bit too much.

[Phil C]

ttt I tried it again twice last night and was able to do it.

[Phil C]

Originally posted by Necks_Fan
Phil, you like westerns a bit too much.

When did you get your first clue? :)

[Phil C]

After about 30 to 40 times I think I met my match in the draw below and couldn't get five pat hands.

I got as follows:

Diamonds A, 10, 9, 7, 6, 3, 4

Clubs A, K, Q, 10, 8, 6, 4 , 2

Hearts Q, 7, 4, 2

Clubs A, 10, 9, 8, 3, 4

The problem after analysis was that there was not a J or a 5 to enable me to get a straight and we only had 4 years in this draw. I tried to get full house combinations but it still left me short. Can anyone help? I think maybe this is one time that it doesn't work because of the missing J and 5.

[95mustang]

Which set of clubs doesn't belong?

[Phil C]

Originally posted by 95mustang
Which set of clubs doesn't belong?

Sorry - make the bottom ones spades! Thanks for pointing out the error 95!

[Phil C]

That one was a hard one but fortunately it is rare.